


15. I Made Your Favorite

by hellaskye



Series: 100 Ways To Say "I Love You" [15]
Category: Black Widow (Comics), Hawkeye (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Fluff, Gen, early shield days
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-21
Updated: 2017-08-21
Packaged: 2018-12-18 03:32:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11865786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hellaskye/pseuds/hellaskye
Summary: "“So what warranted sneaking off base to cook for me?” Clint asked, setting his phone down and trying to lean over the pot to see what it was.“A thanks, for being my knight in shining armor today,” Natalia said dryly, pushing him back and ignoring his pout. “Kitrick still hasn’t recovered, and I figured that deserved a celebration dinner.”“Aww how sweet. Is it going to kill me?” Clint asked sitting at the kitchen counter."Sometimes, you just can't help but punch a guy in the nose.





	15. I Made Your Favorite

15\. “I made your favorite.” 

Clint was having a bad day. 

A bad couple of months really. Ever since he brought Natalia in he’d been getting flack from everyone. He’d been put on training duty, taken out of the field, and his co-workers were whispering behind his back, doubting his loyalty and his intelligence. 

Normally the whispers didn’t bother Clint, but he’d started noticing that it happened to Natalia too. Some chatter was to be expected, she was the Black Widow after all, but she was being carefully watched, and the agents all knew it. One wrong move, and the extermination order was reinstated, and some of the worse agents were taking advantage of Natalia’s short leash: yelling out taunts and making comments to her face, knowing she couldn’t retaliate. Natalia had the best poker face that Clint had ever seen, but he could tell it was upsetting her. 

Then, earlier that day, Ops Agent Kitrick had asked Natasha how much seducing it took before Clint was willing to bring her in, and Clint lost it, socking him in the nose. The kid had fallen with a satisfying crunch, but Clint had been called into Fury’s office and was given a stern talking to. (Technically, he should’ve gotten suspended, but considering the circumstances, Clint was guessing they were going easy on him). The one good part of his day had been when Maria Hill had approached him and Sharon Carter. 

“You knocked Kitrick out?” She’d asked, pointing and Clint, who braced himself for the lashing he was about to receive. She’d turned to Sharon.“And you we’re with him and Natalia? And neither of you stopped him?” At Sharon’s tentative nod, Maria chuckled and nodded approvingly. Clint and Sharon exchanged glances confusedly.

“I knew I liked you two for a reason,” Maria said as she walked away. “Give my kudos to Natalia as well.” 

Clint was jolted out of his thoughts by the greetings of the kids that lived in the same complex as his off-base apartment. He nodded to them and continued up the stairs, stopping in front of his apartment as he noticed the light leaking out from the inside. He hadn’t been here in weeks, and he knew he’d left the lights off. On hand on his gun, Clint pushed open the door, and drew his weapon to see Natalia standing in his kitchen, and messing with the stove. He sighed, but lowered the gun and closed the door, coming to join her in the kitchen.

“I almost shot you,” he informed her conversationally, and she just shrugged, adding some spice to whatever it was she was cooking. Clint sighed as he realized that she must of snuck off base. “Natalia. Does anyone know where you are?” 

“You do,” she responded cheekily, and he stuck his tongue out at her, secretly pleased that she was comfortable enough to joke around. She caught his eye and sighed. “I also told Coulson that I was coming here. He said to text him if I didn’t kill you.”

Clint almost apologized for Coulson’s bluntness, but he looked at Nat and realized she was gratified by it. Coulson didn’t attempt to hide his distrust, and he didn’t distrust without reason. So, Clint just pulled out his phone and let Coulson know he was alive.

“So what warranted sneaking off base to cook for me?” Clint asked, setting his phone down and trying to lean over the pot to see what it was.

“A thanks, for being my knight in shining armor today,” Natalia said dryly, pushing him back and ignoring his pout. “Kitrick still hasn’t recovered, and I figured that deserved a celebration dinner.”

“Aww how sweet. Is it going to kill me?” Clint asked sitting at the kitchen counter. “What is it?”

“I made your favorite,” Natalia set a steaming plate in front of him with a tentative smile. She drizzled sauce on it as she spoke. “You mentioned in Budapest that you loved to eat spaghetti back in the circus, so-?” 

“I probably shouldn’t eat this,” Clint mumbled a couple minutes later, as he shoveled it into his mouth. “Considering that this is a good way to slip me something poisonous, but it’s so good.” 

And it was. Maybe Natalia’s cooking was mediocre, but the joy on her face when he actually ate her food was worth it, and she’d never seemed so at ease with him than in that moment, in his kitchen. 

And if his legs started to go numb an hour later, he didn’t worry about it.


End file.
